A friend of mine picked up this beatifully decorated Milner safe and has been thinking of restoring it properly, as the paint has chipped in some areas and needs some love. The safe is with one original key and one duplicate. Can someone identify from which year it is or is the year in the cast logo the actual year? Dec 04, 2008 This safe is a grand old lady. I am in total awe with this safe. I guessitimate to be 60+ years old, if not more. After all these years the safe in still in good working order. Foto is not the best. Front view of the Milner safe. Just below the big circular insignia is a little square cover and when push up reveals the key way for the lock. Milner safe picked open after keys lost. Come on John, my side is open already! Tann TS3 high security ten lever safe locks decoded and opened without drilling. Opening Dudley Euro Grade safe with lost combination numbers. No drilling or damage to the safe. Serial number ranges for the production years of M1903 Springfield, including Springfield Armory, Rock Island Arsenal, Remington, and Smith-Corona production.
Safes are among the most common items seen in photographs of late 19th century and early 20th century offices. This exhibit deals primarily with 19th century safes and covers early 20thcentury safes briefly near the end. Early and Mid-19th Century Safes
Until1820, safes, or'iron chests' as they were often called, were designed to protect against burglars, but they did not offer substantial protectionagainst fire. Safes designed to protect their contents against fire wereintroduced beginning around 1820, but safes that successfully protected theircontents against major building fires were not marketed until the early1840s. After that, safes were routinely used in offices to protect againstboth fire and burglars. Ads do not say anything about protection against tornadoes. Typically, interior wooden partitions in office safes were designed to hold ledgersand other papers. In the 19th century, at around $150 to $225 for typicalsizes, safes were the most expensive itemof office equipment. Left:Single door safecontaining ledgers, M Briggs & Son, Rochester, NY, 1882 ad Center Left: Large double door safe, American Steam Safe Co., New York, NY Center Right: Burglar Proof Safe, American Steam SafeCo., New York, NY Right: Hall's Fire and Burglar Proof Safe, Hall Safe & LockCo., Cincinnati, OH
Turning to the early history of safes, 'The first types of English safes were strong wooden boxes, bound with ironhoops. A specimen of the old wooden chest is preserved in the Cathedral ofChichester. It is 9 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet high, with athickness of about 2 inches, and is thought to be about 1,000 years old.Wrought-iron chests were used in the store-rooms of country mansions about thebeginning of the present [nineteenth] century. At the end of the last centurythe Carron Company in Scotland, and the Coalbrookdale in England, had introducedcast-iron chests and book safes with single and double doors. These boxeswere cast in one piece, about half an inch in thickness, with doors formed inone casting of the same average thickness. This style of safe remained ingeneral use until it was abandoned on account of affording no security in caseof fire. For other forms of security, such as alarm systems and security camera systems, browse the web for more information. About 1827, Thomas Milner commenced to make safes with outercases of strong tin-plate and sheet iron, with an inner lining of the same,forming a chamber all around for the reception of a non-conducting substancecomposed of hard wood and sawdust mixed with alum. In case of a fire thealum melted, and by damping the sawdust prevented the conduction of heat to theinterior of the safe. This may be considered our first fire-proof safe. The safes were understood to be fire-proof only, but not burglar-proof.' (Manufacturer and Builder, May1878, p. 107)
By 1825, Jesse Delano was manufacturing iron chests in NewYork City. In 1826, he patented an improvement in fire proof safes 'whichconsisted in coating the wooden foundation with a composition of equal parts,clay and lime, plumbago and mica, or saturating the wood in a solution of potashlye and alum, to render it incombustible. These were generally used inthis country [the U.S.].' (One Hundred Years'Progress of the United States, 1870, pp. 396-97) 'The first safesmanufactured in this country were lined with wood; the old-fashioned'knob-chests,' as they were called, were simply wooden boxes covered first withthin sheet-iron, then banded and strapped, and the whole nailed fast with largenails, having prominent knobs or cast-iron heads. The original method ofpreparing wood as a lining for safes was to saturate or soak it with salt water,and as wood is absorbent, it retained this saturation for some time.' (FightingFire for Twenty-Six Years, Comprising a History of Herring's Patent ChampionSafes, 1867, p. 9) Delano's patent,which bears the number x-8356, was reissued in 1834. A copy of the patentdiagram is provided to the right. Delano and his sons manufactured safesin New York City until 1859. Iron Chests made by Jesse Delano 1826-1830s Three images on left of double door safe courtesy of Frank Vecchi Next two images to the right show two different single door safes. Last photo to right shows the knob on the safe to the immediate left of thisphoto. Iron Chest made by Magaud de Charf, Marseille, France
'After Mr. Delano, C. J. Gayler began the safe manufacture, and in 1833 hepatented his 'double' fire-proof chest. This consisted of two chests, oneso formed within the other as to have one or more spaces between them, toinclose air or any known non-conductors of heat. In the same year, one ofthese double chests was severely tested in a large building that was entirelydestroyed by fire. The chest preserved its contents in good order. This excited the public admiration, and one enthusiastic writer described it asa 'Salamander,' which name has ever since been popularly applied to safes. [According to mythology, salamanders could survive and extinguish fires.]The majorityof the so-called 'safes' in use at the time of the great fire in New York in1835 were simply iron closets, and were of little protection against thedevouring element. There were then about sixty of Gayler's double chestsin use, and a few of these preserved their contents. Soon after, JohnScott obtained a patent for the use of asbestos for fire-proof chests.' (One Hundred Years'Progress, pp. 396-97) Gayler's Patent Double Fire Proof Wrought Iron Chests& Safes, NYC, 1833.
In 1833, the agent for Gayler's patent double fire proofwrought iron chests and safes advertised that it had 50 models weighing between300 pounds and 5,000 pounds and suitable for banks, insurance offices, townrecords, and merchants. The agent stated that 'The great iron chestrecently set up in the Savings Bank, Chambers Street, New York, was made in the[Gayler] manufactory. It is the largest in the United States, being 10feet high, 21 feet wide, and weighs 11,000 pounds.' On a 1834 billhead, C. J. Gayler of New York City describedhimself as a 'manufacturer of fire proof iron chests and banksafes.' In 1835, C. J. Gayler was an 'iron chest maker' and J. Delano & Sons were 'iron chest makers'on Water Street in New York City. ('The Conflagration,' New YorkHerald, Dec 18, 1835)
In fact, none of the safes marketed through the 1830s providedreliable protection against the heat of intense fires. Scientific American (June 11, 1853) reported that 'the fire of 1835 in New York had proved thatthe old fashioned safe was perfectly worthless.' The 1841 safepictured at the top of this page is not heat proof; it has single walls rather than double wallsfilled with insulation. 'The next period in safe-making is now known as the plaster of Parisage--the water being this time retained by plaster or hydrauliccements.' Beginning in1830, Daniel Fitzgerald of New York figured out how to design a reliable fireproof safe using plaster of Paris as an insulating material. Fitzgerald's 1836patent application was denied because personnel of thePatent Office were protecting an inventor of an earlier technology. ' In1837, Benjamin Sherwood obtained U.S. Patent No. 190 for a revolving interior[cylindrical] safe [inside a larger revolving cylindrical safe], fillingthe spaces with plaster of Paris and charcoal.' (One Hundred Years'Progress, pp. 396-97) 'Sherward's [sic] Revolving Safe,'described as 'A double cylinder safe, one revolving within the other as anadditional security against rogues and fire,' and by judges as 'A goodarticle,' was exhibited at the 1837 exhibition of the MassachusettsCharitable Mechanic Association MCMA. In 1839, Thayer & Edwards, Boston, MA, exhibited an iron safe at the secondMCMA exhibition. In 1841 Thayer & Edwards, and then in 1844 itssuccessor company Edwards & Holman, Boston, MA, exhibited 'SalamanderSafes.' at the third and fourth MCMA exhibitions. Finally,with the assistance of Enos Wilder, Fitzgerald was granted U.S. Patent No. 3,117on June 1, 1843, for an 'improvement in fire-proof chests and safes,'specifically the construction of what the patent identifies as a'Salamander Safe' made of heavy iron plates and filled with a three-inch layer ofplaster of Paris in liquid form.Fitzgerald assigned the patent to Enos Wilder, who left it to his heir, BenjaminG. Wilder, and it became known as the 'Wilder patent.' Safes madeusing the technology in the Wilder patent proved effective against fire, andearlier technologies were made obsolete.
B. G Wilder Patent Salamander Safe, New York, NY. Courtesy Kevin Forrey
Rich & Co. Salamander Safe, dated 1842 The name plaque on this safe is pictured below. Photos courtesy of Christopher C. Cenac
Commercial production of safes using the technology in theWilder patent began in 1840 or shortly before. According to oneaccount, 'a citizen of New York namedCrandall Rich, associated with himself two others named Roff and Stearns, andcommenced the manufacture of these safes, making an arrangement with Wilder,that if he obtained the patent, they were to pay him for the use of it, whichwas afterwards done. These parties, Rich & Co., soon discovered that thecomposition as invented by Fitzgerald damped the books and papers; therefore animprovement was made and patented by Rich & Co., the result of which hasbeen that in the great fire of New York in 1845 property to the amount ofthousands of dollars was preserved in these safes, while safes of every otherdescription were totally destroyed. In a period of twelve to fifteen years[1841-53 or 1838-53], no failure has ever taken place, and they are in suchgeneral use that scarcely a fire happens without one of these safes beingtested.' (Scientific American, June 11, 1853)
Competing safe technologies were tested in 1840. 'The great trial of safes at Coffee-house Slip, foot of Wall street, NewYork, in 1840, in which all the leading fire-proof chests then made weredestroyed, while the newly introduced Salamander bore off the palm of victory,was witnessed by Mr. Herring.' (Fighting Fire, p. 13) According to another account, 'About 1841, Mr. Silas C.Herring became interested in Wilder's safes, first as agent and afterwards as amanufacturer. In 1844, the safes under this patent were made by Mr.Herring.' Herring agreed to pay Wilder a royalty of one cent per pound forthe right to be the exclusive seller of Wilder's Salamander safes in New YorkCity. (One Hundred Years'Progress, p. 397) In 1841, these safes were $40 to $250, and they wereproduced at the rate of about three a week. (Fighting Fire, p.14)
Free Serial Numbers
About this time, Enos Wilder filed a patentinfringement suit against Charles Gaylor (presumably an alternative spelling ofGayler) and another againstCrandall Rich, Almon Roff, John Stearns, and Azor Marvin. In the second ofthese actions, 'After a protracted lawsuit, a compromise was effectedby which both parties continued to manufacture.' (One Hundred Years'Progress of the United States, 1870, p. 397) In 1847, J. E. Wilder exhibiteda Salamander safe at the fifth MCMA exhibition. Also, in 1847 Adams &Hammond, the owner of theWilder patent (and itself an exhibitor of iron fire-proof safes in 1844 and 1847at the fourth and fifth MCMA exhibitions in Boston, MA.) sued Edwards & Holman for producing safes from 1843 to 1847 that infringed thatpatent. (Levi Woodbury, 'Charge in the Case of Adams& Hammond vs. Edwards & Holman,' Writings of Levi Woodbury,1852, Vol. 2, p. 286.) In 1850, Salamander safes were exhibited by at the sixth MCMA exhibition bythree parties, John E. Wilder, William Adams, and Denio, Cheney & Co, all ofBoston, MA. Silas C. Herring exhibited fire-proof safesat the Crystal Palace in London, England, in 1851 and won an award. 'Wemust not omit to mention here the interest universally created by the salamandersafes deposited by Silas C. Herring of New York. The metal of the safe consistsof the stoutest and toughest wrought bar and plate iron, the space between theinner and outer surfaces being filled with a composition, of which plaster ofParis is the principal ingredient. Several attempts have been made here toburn this safe, but after laying in the fire for forty hours, red-hot,the contents came out uninjured.' (Scientific American, Aug. 16,1851, p. 378) Chubb & Son also exhibited fire-proof safes at the CrystalPalace in 1851. Ca. 1853, Silas C. Herring & Co. advertised single door safesranging from $40 (for a 12' x 8' x 9' model) to $200 (32' x27' x 15') and folding door safes ranging from $175 (22' x32' x 16') to $625 (64' x 51' x 19'). Left: Silas C. Herring, c. 1851 Right: Chubb and Son exhibited London 1851, Paris 1855
Competing safe makers tried many alternative insulating materials, 'but none provedas effectual as hydrated plaster of Paris, which, under the influence of intenseheat, gave up its water of combination, and forming an atmosphere of steam inthe inner portion of the safe, protected the books or papers fromdestruction. It was found, however, that the plaster after a time gave upa part of its water of combination, and not only made the interior of the safesmouldy and damp, but rusted the plates of iron till they were eatenthrough.' In 1852, Spear discovered an alternative to plaster ofParis that did not cause dampness, and in 1854 Herring began to use Spear's invention. 'B.G. Wilder had meantime commenced the manufacture ofsafes under his patent; and the successors of Messrs. Roberts & Rich, underseveral firm names, as Rich & Roff, Roff & Stearns, and Stearns &Marvin, also manufactured the Wilder safe.' (One Hundred Years' Progress,p. 397) In 1867, Herring claimed that since 1841 it had manufacturedmore than 30,000 safes. (Fighting Fire, p. 14) Also in 1867,Herring, Farrel & Sherman, New York, won a bronze medal for fire andburglar-poof safes. (Reports of the Commissions to the Paris UniversalExposition 1867, Vol. I, Washington, DC, 1870, p. 302)
Between1840 and 1860, numerous companies in New York Cityand Boston manufactured fire-proof Salamander safes using the Wilder patent. Safes made by a number of thesemanufacturers have metal plaques with wording such as 'Wilder's Patent Salamander Safe1842,' 'Wilder's Improved PatentFire-Proof Salamander Safe,' or 'Improved Patent Salamander Safe. C. Rich. N. York.1842.' Shortly before April 1844, a cartoon showed a man with provisions inside aSalamander safe labeled 'Patent Fire ProofChest.' Left: C. Rich & Co. Salamander Safe Plaque. Courtesy of Doug Hamann.
Pin key, lock, and name plate from S.C. Herring Wilder PatentSalamander Safe Photographs courtesy of Tom Gazda
There was a substantial amount of litigation relating to the Wilderpatent from soon after it was awarded until at least 1869. Based on the dates ofpublished references to Salamander safes, it appears that these safes were mostpopular during the 1840s and 1850s. However, the Wilder Salamander Safe Co. wasdoing business in New York City in 1870, and we have seen a few references toSalamander safes that were published in the early 1870s. USPatent No. 12,594, which covers another method of insulating safes, wasawarded to Richard Holmes and William H. Butler on Mar. 27, 1855. This patentclaimed 'a new and useful improvement in alum fillings of safes, combiningwith the alum filling an alkali, in such proportions that the alum, in becomingheated or melted has a part of its acid neutralized by the action of thealkali.' Also, 'the said filling is interspersed with andsupported or restrained from settling down by cells of porous material'(formed by filling the walls with pieces of bricks along with a mixture of clay,alum, and an alkali. A fire-proof safe made by Holmes, Valentine &Butler, New York, NY, which incorporates this technology, is illustrated tothe right. (Scientific American, Nov. 17, 1855) A second safe basedon this patent is pictured below. This safe labeled 'Marvin & Co. Valentine &Butler. Alum Patent. Mar. 27, 1855' Photographs courtesy of Tom Gazda
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Offices may have been more concerned about protecting theirbooks and papers from fire than burglars, but there was demand for burglar-proofsafes. In England, Chubb patented a burglar proof safe in 1833. In the mid-19thcentury in the U.S., 'Lillie's safes were highly commended for thispurpose, he using thick slabs of chilled cast iron, and flowing cast iron overwrought iron ribs in their construction. It was found after a time, however,that the burglars succeeded in drilling these sufficiently to blow them up in afew minutes. Messrs. Herring & Co. a few years since [that is, a few yearsbefore 1870] adopted the plan of making their burglar-proof safes externally ofboiler-plate wrought iron, with an inner safe of hardened steel, and then filledthe space between with a casting of Franklinite, the hardest of all knownmetallic ores, which in casting was incorporated with rods of soft steel, thoseon one side running vertically, and those on the other horizontally. Thesecastings resist the best drills for many hours. This has, in connexionwith the burglar-proof locks, proved the most complete protection againstburglars yet invented.' (One Hundred Years' Progress of the UnitedStates, 1870, p. 397) Late 19th Century Safes
Morse Safe, Boston, MA, 1872
Three photos of a safe made by the Barnes Safe & LockCo., Pittsburgh, PA, 1871. Photo on the left shows the closed safe; photo in the middle shows the safewith the outer doors open; photo on the right shows the safe with the innerdoors open as well. See below for an 1871 advertisement by the Barnes Safe & Lock Co.
From Left: 1. Burglars attempting to open a Herringsafe, 1867 2. Herring, Farrel & Sherman safe opened in 29 minutes with burglars'tools, published 1868 3. Discovery of a frozen rooster in a Barnes safe after theGreat Chicago Fire, 1871 4. Demons with powder and nitro-glycerin attempting to opena Butler patent safe, Diebold Safe & Lock Co. 5. Transporting a safe, Hall's Safe & Lock Co., Cincinnati,OH, 1872 6. Trade Card, Kerr's Cotton Thread, Kerr & Co., New York,NY.
For information on safes displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, click here andthen scroll down. Whitfield's Light Fire-resisting Safe, 1880 This appears to be an economy (light weight, low cost) safe.
Early 20th Century Safes
Safes made by the Victor Safe & Lock Co., Cincinnati, OH,c. 1904. The first four images are of one safe. The next image shows a larger safeof a similar style. The last two images show a third safe.
'Fire-Proof' Safe, Cary Safe Co., Buffalo, NY
Ely-Norris Patented Manard Manganese Steel Bank Safe enclosedin York Safe & Lock Co. Spherical Fire-Proof Safe, 1918 York catalog, York,PA.
Cabinet safes were designed to hold modularfiling cabinets
Globe Cabinet Safe, closed and open views, Globe-Wernicke,1911.
Guitar hero 3 pc digital download. Cabinet Safe, The Macy Co., 1917 Cabinet safes similar to those above were advertised at least as late as 1928.